Had one of the BSA Featherweights with the brake for awhile in .270 . Was lovely to carry but the muzzle blast was like someone smacking you in the head with a 2x4 every time you pulled the trigger. It had been customized with some diamond inlays made from linoleum flooring and sadly would only form reasonable groups with 150gr round nose bullets which made it redundant. Shot one buck and a coyote before moving it along. My preference is the Husqvarna 1600 for factory lightweight but they have a hard time beating my Winchester Featherweight.270 out of the safe.
Old School Meets New School- Sheep/ Mountain Rifle
- Thread starter AR15meister
- Start date
Personal preference, but I like to see the M98s with one of the many x57 cases, whereas the 270 and other American cartridges in a M70. Euro vs American.
What's this "stabilizing" you speak of?
I'm guessing it's dried wood that's them impregnated with resin.
The stabilizing I've seen works great but makes wood heavy. If one could confine the treatment to the action area, it would be good. If the treatment depth was limited to 3/16" or so, that would be good too. Kind of a trade-off between stability and weight gain.
Well, if a process ended up with the checkering also hardened (without filling in the valleys of the checkering of course), that would give the checkering points a little resistance from being flattened a little or lot from bumps and knocks against packboard frames, boulders, etc, yes?
My rifles' checkering is all still pretty good - if it wasn't, I'd pay a gunsmith to do a little maintenance touchup for me. But all of my hunting rifles have little bruises here and there on the checkering that might not be there if the checkering were a little bit harder right out of the box. They're small enough that I accept them as the little character marks that remind me they spent their time in the mountains, not gathering dust in my gun safe's or coddled in a gun case as I drove back and forth on logging roads, road hunting. But I look at the fine LPI checkering on some of these custom beautiful classic sheep rifles, and I can't help but wonder how such fine, small diamonds would stand up to a knock against a packboard or something similar.
That could be one of the best threads on here if he would do that. I second that motion!
Ted
AR15meister
CGN Regular
Update to this thread. I have found the builder who is going to do the gun for me and I have purchased 2 vintage 1947 Model 70 actions. The serial numbers are close and I may end up building one big gun (for large/dangerous game) and one lighter rifle for plains game and the mountains.
Going to do up a thread on the process. I am ordering some custom rifle books and starting to do some research on what I am looking to do. I have ever done this before and its a whole learning process for sure but keeps me day dreaming and gives me something to work on that's creative in my time off work.
I have, however, come to a crossroads wherein I have to decide on Caliber. Obviously there are lots of options.
I am stuck on whether I want a basic classic AMERICAN caliber like the .270 WIN, 30-06 or one that recently entered into my thought process, .300 Weatherby...which is also very classic and Ameican.
I have decided to pause on ordering some of my items while I allow the universe to speak to me on the question of caliber. Of course, being an avid sheep hunter I am enamored with the idea of a Jack O'Connor .270. That being said, I currently run a 26 Nosler Christensen Ridgeline with which I have killed lots of rams, bilies and a mountain Caribou. I have total and utter faith in this gun to be beaten and function with total reliability and accuracy at the most important moments on extended 14-21 day backcountry trips in the harshest conditions in the high mountains. I have carried it in Asia on several trips and North America on 3 (client/guide) sheep hunts. Although it is long (26" barrel and a muzzle brake) for my liking, it "aint broke" so I would be hesitant to replace it. In Asia, above the treeline it is perfect. For horseback hunts in AB/BC or the territories the length isn't ideal, (although I did kill a gorgeous stone ram this past summer with it). I will be carrying it on my upcoming Blue sheep hunt in Nepal this October for sure.
I also want to use what I am now calling my "Sheep Rifle #2" or simply "my wood gun" for future safaris in Africa with my kids. So I am considering a larger caliber. That said, I know enough about guns to understand that I need to decide what I want. And the answer is I don't really know other than a "classic American hunting rifle custom built to my specifications and style".
The .300 Weatherby has such panache and history in the international big game hunting community. Having read many books about the exploits of the great international hunters like Elgin Gates I have also been enamored by it. That said, it would be a big boomer and heavy recoil and a 24" barrel. I was hoping for a lighter weight gun with a 22" barrel and less recoil. But I simply dont know what I want to do and I am waiting for the universe to speak to me LOL.
I only want an American caliber as I am building my gun in the classic American style. So 7x57, etc isnt on my radar.
Anyways, I really appreciate all of the interesting thoughts here so far.
Going to do up a thread on the process. I am ordering some custom rifle books and starting to do some research on what I am looking to do. I have ever done this before and its a whole learning process for sure but keeps me day dreaming and gives me something to work on that's creative in my time off work.
I have, however, come to a crossroads wherein I have to decide on Caliber. Obviously there are lots of options.
I am stuck on whether I want a basic classic AMERICAN caliber like the .270 WIN, 30-06 or one that recently entered into my thought process, .300 Weatherby...which is also very classic and Ameican.
I have decided to pause on ordering some of my items while I allow the universe to speak to me on the question of caliber. Of course, being an avid sheep hunter I am enamored with the idea of a Jack O'Connor .270. That being said, I currently run a 26 Nosler Christensen Ridgeline with which I have killed lots of rams, bilies and a mountain Caribou. I have total and utter faith in this gun to be beaten and function with total reliability and accuracy at the most important moments on extended 14-21 day backcountry trips in the harshest conditions in the high mountains. I have carried it in Asia on several trips and North America on 3 (client/guide) sheep hunts. Although it is long (26" barrel and a muzzle brake) for my liking, it "aint broke" so I would be hesitant to replace it. In Asia, above the treeline it is perfect. For horseback hunts in AB/BC or the territories the length isn't ideal, (although I did kill a gorgeous stone ram this past summer with it). I will be carrying it on my upcoming Blue sheep hunt in Nepal this October for sure.
I also want to use what I am now calling my "Sheep Rifle #2" or simply "my wood gun" for future safaris in Africa with my kids. So I am considering a larger caliber. That said, I know enough about guns to understand that I need to decide what I want. And the answer is I don't really know other than a "classic American hunting rifle custom built to my specifications and style".
The .300 Weatherby has such panache and history in the international big game hunting community. Having read many books about the exploits of the great international hunters like Elgin Gates I have also been enamored by it. That said, it would be a big boomer and heavy recoil and a 24" barrel. I was hoping for a lighter weight gun with a 22" barrel and less recoil. But I simply dont know what I want to do and I am waiting for the universe to speak to me LOL.
I only want an American caliber as I am building my gun in the classic American style. So 7x57, etc isnt on my radar.
Anyways, I really appreciate all of the interesting thoughts here so far.
Do you reload? I'd vote no on the 300 weatherby because ammo might be hard to find if you're somewhere remote and you'll need a longer barrel to strech it to its full potential.
I'd vote 30-06 due to its versatility, large range of bullets weights, ease of finding ammo and it does well with a 22-23 inch barrel length (probably even shorter).
I'd vote 30-06 due to its versatility, large range of bullets weights, ease of finding ammo and it does well with a 22-23 inch barrel length (probably even shorter).
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Yeah 30-06 would have my vote to! Or 7x57 would be great as a classic rifle! Oups didn’t realize you wanted to keep it American…. I would go 30-06 then! But is 30-06 really American? Not quite! So 270 it should be or even better 280 rem!
AR15meister
CGN Regular
I dont reload so would want to stick with factory ammunition. And I did think of this for sure.
- Location
- Barrie Ont. Canada
Interesting build, My vote is for 284 win.
If you really wanted a long action then 280 rem, then maybe a 270. 30-06 is boring to me.
If you really wanted a long action then 280 rem, then maybe a 270. 30-06 is boring to me.
A .30/06 with a 22" barrel would be a fine and versatile light rifle for Africa, that would still be at home in the sheep mountains. Even Jack admitted that it was more versatile than the .270.
Still, for a classic "O'Connor" style sheep rifle, it should probably be a .270. You have to consider, when it's all said and done, if you choose some other calibre whether you'd find yourself wishing it was a .270 instead.
